


Dashing Knight of Time

by ThePenultimateAvenger



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-07
Updated: 2012-06-07
Packaged: 2017-11-07 04:37:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/426980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePenultimateAvenger/pseuds/ThePenultimateAvenger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John has been in love with Dave for years, even during the Game, but he thinks his feelings will forever go unrequited. Now the kids are all seniors at the same high school and, as usual, many shenanigans occur before they reach the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dashing Knight of Time

John took his normal seat in math class, pulling his notebook and pencil out of his backpack as though he'd actually be doing any work. Which he wouldn't. Usually, he just passed notes to Dave or spaced out. The teacher was an idiot and no one really did work in his class, save for the overachievers and sycophants. As the room gradually filled with students, Dave sauntered in and took the empty seat beside his friend, flipping his hair out of his face. He set his messenger bag on the floor and glanced over at John, smiling. "Did you manage to get your essay done for English?"

John, in turn, smiled sheepishly. "Barely. With some artful copying and pasting and some very long words, I made it sound like I almost knew what I was talking about. Hey, next time I have an essay to do, keep reminding me, okay? I always end up forgetting until the night before."

Dave smirked and undoubtedly rolled his eyes, though it wasn't visible through his sunglasses. "I really don't see why it's  _my_ responsibility to keep you from failing." He opened to the next blank page in his notebook, where he wrote down miscellaneous rhymes while ignoring the droning of the teacher. John sometimes wondered what he kept in that notebook, but the few times he'd asked about it, Dave had been almost defensive about it, so he didn't push the issue.

The teacher began class and John ended up doodling, glancing over whenever Dave's phone would vibrate. He bristled, too, because he knew exactly who was texting his best friend. Stupid Terezi with her stupid face with the stupid relationship with Dave. Here's the thing: John had a very severe best-friend crush and had for a long time, even before the Sburb ordeal. They were now seniors in high school, and he still had to compete with Terezi. Not that it was much of a competition. It was obvious that Dave loved her. Every time he got one of her texts, he'd smile this little smile that showed that maybe he didn't care if people thought he wasn't so cool.

The entire situation was the single source of all John's troubles. Well, he thought so, anyway. Every time he'd convince himself that he was completely over his friend, Dave would do something incredibly adorable, and  _wham!_ Re-crushified all over again. And sure, he wanted Dave to be happy, even if it meant being in a relationship with someone whose last name wasn't Egbert. But Terezi? She was back on Alternia, and if that's not long distance, he didn't know what was. How could Dave just ignore everything that was right there in front of his face every single day?

Math class dragged on and on, but finally, the bell rang and John attempted to shove everything into his backpack. "I wonder what they're serving for lunch today." He wondered, walking into the hall with Dave.

"Actually, I was thinking we could eat off campus today." The blond said. "I don't feel like waiting in line with all those idiots."

John's heart skipped slightly and he nodded. "That would be nice!" He had to remind himself that it didn't mean what he hoped it meant.

They walked side-by-side out to the parking lot to Dave's black Tercel, tossing their bags into the back seat before getting in and buckling their seatbelts. "So, have you seen the previews for the new Nicolas Cage movie?" John asked. "It looks amazing!"

"Pft, I've seen three different previews, and it really doesn't look that great. You're just biased because you love Nic Cage." Dave started the car and backed out of the parking spot, at least twenty times better than John could do.

"No way! I would love it, even if it starred some other guy. The story looks good!"

"Just admit it, Egbert. You have a total boner for him." Dave turned onto the road, smirking.

"W-what, not even! He's way too old!" John looked out the window, crossing his arms.

"Well then, it's totally just because of that other chick that stars in that movie, too, right?"

"I'm not interested in her, or any other girls." John especially didn't like being teased about his taste in movies.

"Aww, Egbert, was that a thinly disguised hint that you're actually gay?" You could hear the smile in Dave's voice, and he actually sounded…sincere.

John didn't exactly know how to respond, so he sat there sputtering for a few seconds before forming the words. "So what if I am?"

"Cool with me, broseph. People are people. And to be honest, I've known for a while."

"What?!? How?"

"I just know these things, dude."

John sighed. Now that Dave knew he was gay, it wasn't going to magically change anything. He was still going to be John Egbert: Best bro with no romantic attachment whatsoever, no matter how much he wanted that to change.

After a five minute drive with very scarce conversation, they pulled up to McDonalds. Once they sat down with their food, John looked out the window moodily. Dave was just so…well, perfect. Yeah, yeah, everyone says that about the people they crush on, but it was different with Dave. After Sburb, they were closer than they had ever been. Earth and Alternia had been reset, but despite the expected results, they still remembered everything that had happened. Hence the continuing contact with the trolls.

Speaking of which, there was another text from Terezi. Jegus, didn't she have anything better to do than pester Dave? The boy in question pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked the screen, smiling at whatever the text said. It almost made John lose his appetite. Almost.

Dave replaced his phone in his pocket after a brief glance at the time. "I have an idea, John."

"And that would be?"

"Let's not go back to school."

"But Dave, that's ditching! We could get in trouble." John argued. He'd never ditched class, and he tended to avoid situations that would get him in trouble. After all, he'd dealt with enough trouble to last three lifetimes.

"Relax, Jegus. It's only the last half of the day, we'll be fine."

John bit his lip, mulling it over. Finally, he agreed with a sigh. "But if I get in trouble, I'm going to punch you in the face."

"I'd like to see you try, Egbert. You love me far too much to harm this beautiful face."

"Right. More like, I spent too damn much money on those glasses, I wouldn't risk breaking them." Er, actually, it was the former. Definitely the former.

"John, do you ever wonder what would be different if we'd never played that game?" Dave asked, suddenly serious.

John had to think for a moment, but nodded as he took a sip of his soda. "I guess. I mean, we survived and that's the point, right? We made it out alive and even got to keep our memories. No harm done, right? Life just…went on."

"Yeah, but all that happened is still real- all the blood and death. No one should have to face that, you know? I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you could somehow stop past you from playing it, would you?"

John pursed his lips. They never really talked about the game. It was a subject they preferred to sweep under the carpet and forget ever existed. "Honestly? No. If we'd never played it none of us would have become such good friends. You, me, Rose and Jade. We were friends before, but after… we were all more than friends. We shared this connection, you know?"

"What about the trolls?"

"Er…"  _Well, all of them are great, except for Terezi because she stole you._ "I'm glad I met them, too."

Dave ate a fry, looking out the window. "They're amazing, all right. I'm glad we're still able to talk to them. Actually, Terezi and I were-"

"Actually Dave," John stood up at the mention of the blind troll, feeling the familiar pangs in his chest. "I have this really big project for science class, so I can't skip. I'll walk back, though, it's not that far. See you later."

Okay, so it was immature. But if John felt heartbroken enough at simple speculation of the relationship between his best friend and Terezi, actually having to hear Dave ramble about how wonderful she was would probably kill him. He grabbed his backpack from the car and started down the sidewalk, mentally chastising himself for acting like such a dweeb.

When he got back to school, he was only a few minutes late. He slipped in and sat by Rose at the back of the class without the teacher noticing, pulling out his notebook. "Are you okay?" Rose whispered, only loud enough for him to hear.

"No. Well, yeah, but I don't feel okay. And I'm not okay with what's going on."

"And, do tell, what's going on?"

"Er, you know. Dave. And Terezi."

Rose already knew he was gay. And in love with Dave. She was observant and picked up the little glances and touches. So, she eventually made John tell her everything, most likely filing it all away in the psychoanalysis part of her brain. "Dave and Terezi? I'm afraid I don't follow."

John opened his mouth to say something, when the teacher interrupted. "Is there something you two would like to share with the class?"

"No, ma'am." John muttered, turning back to the front of the room.

The teacher was talking about something along the lines of biomes and Hadley Cells, but for all John knew, she was discussing the pros and cons of unicorns and zombies. He was off in his own world, and Rose had to nudge his shoulder when the bell rang.

"So you're under the impression that Dave and Terezi are in a relationship?" She asked, continuing their conversation once they were in the hall. They shoved past a pack of freshmen to her locker.

"Obviously. They are, right?"

Rose took her science textbook out of her backpack, replacing it with her German book. Once she had all of her things in order, she shrugged. "Has he actually said right out that they're together?"

"Er…" John tried to think, but he couldn't come up with anything. "I don't think so. But it's just something I know."

"John, think about this. Don't you think Dave would have told you if he was in a relationship? You're his best friend."

"I would have hoped…but, gah, I don't know. Let's just get to German class.

* * *

John got home and flopped onto his bed, dropping his backpack in the process. He grabbed his laptop and pressed the power button with a sigh. He wanted to talk to Dave over Pesterchum like he normally did, but after his abrupt departure that afternoon, he was kind of afraid of what his best friend would say. He logged on anyway, opening a word document immediately after so he could start on his homework. That way, he wouldn't be the one to start any conversations.

He wrote for around twenty minutes before Pesterchum lit up, chiming to let John know that he had a new message. From turntechGodhead. John wanted to ignore it. He really, really did. If it hadn't been for another chime, he would have gone back to his homework. He switched tabs and quickly read over Dave's message.

**turntechGodhead: what was with this afternoon?**

**turntechGodhead: you sort of freaked out**

**turntechGodhead: you okay?**

John's fingers hovered over his keyboard as he considered replying. He could ignore the messages. Tell Dave later that he'd been away from his computer and hadn't seen them. But somehow, he didn't quite think that it would work. Excuses began flying through his mind, but he really couldn't come up with anything that was even remotely believable.  _Oh, sorry Dave, but I just really love science class. I can't miss that shit._ Right.

**EB: Yeah, like I said, I have a project to do.**

**EB: Since Rose is my partner, I can't leave her.**

**TG: you could have at least let me drive you back**

**TG: it's not like I had anything better to do**

**EB: Sorry, I guess I just didn't want to bother you to go back to school.**

**TG: dont be afraid to ask next time okay?**

**TG: and i had been just about to tell you something big**

**EB: Er, sorry Dave, but I have to go. Dad just got home and I have to help him with groceries.**

John didn't like acting so dodgy around Dave. They were best friends, for Gog's sake. They should have been able to tell each other everything. The jealousy he felt couldn't be helped, though. The way he saw it, he saw Dave first and Terezi had stolen him. Now, John was left watching his best friend and the only person he wanted to be with fall in love with someone else. It was beyond difficult, and what hurt the most is that he had to hurt Dave to protect himself. Either way, it was a lose-lose situation. John went invisible on Pesterchum and shut down his computer, hoping to get his mind off of things, if only for a little while.

* * *

He woke up the next morning feeling optimistic, but as his day progressed, he found himself avoiding Dave as much as possible. In the hallways, John would rush to his next class without stopping to talk, and he actually tried to focus when the teacher was talking. What made it worse was the fact that he was doing is almost subconsciously- running off of pure impulse. One glance in Dave's direction harshly reminded him of the fact that his feelings would forever go unrequited, so he fled. Running from the inevitable encounter with the biggest heartbreak of his life was the only thing that seemed logical at the time, but who ever said teenagers were logical?

At lunch, John managed to track down Jade and Rose and sat with them in the hallway. It was a strange place to eat, considering the fact that most students ate in the cafeteria, or if they were upperclassmen, went off campus, but it was quieter. The two girls always brought their lunches and sat together there, away from everyone else.

And 'away from everyone else' is exactly where John wanted to be at that moment.

"What brings you over here, John?" Jade asked, taking a bite of her sandwich. She still had her silly Squiddles lunchbox, too, though it no longer housed her laptop. Now it was just used for food.

"It's just been a while since I've chilled with you two." John lied.

Rose ate a spoonful of her yogurt, raising her eyebrow skeptically. "Are you sure it's not just because you and Dave had a fight?"

She was too good at reading people. Way too good. "Of course not!"

It was obvious that she didn't believe it, but Rose let the subject drop, choosing instead to talk about a book she read. Something about micro expressions. John wasn't really paying attention, anyway. He was trying to devise a plan of action, because he couldn't remain friends with Dave if he continuously avoided him, and their friendship meant more to John than anything. It should have been easy to convince himself that if his frustratingly attractive friend was happy, he was, too. But unfortunately, everyone knows that's not the way life works. Because every time poor little John tried to think that, he was filled with an overwhelming jealousy that made him want to punch Terezi in the face. Which he never would because, hey, what kind of jerk would punch a blind girl?

Lunch came to an end and John walked with Rose to science class, feeling no better about his situation, even with all the thought he put into it. The teacher began talking and he felt a piece of paper hit his shoulder and bounce onto his desk. He glanced over at Rose and unfolded the paper, glancing over the pretty handwriting.

_Look, I know for a fact that something's bugging you. You look like a kicked puppy. Also, I would be an idiot not to know that it's about Dave. So spill it. What's going on?_

John knew she was going to analyze everything that was going on and try to come up with a solution, but he didn't really care. There was no solution to be found. He took out his pen, and after scribbling in the corner of the paper to make it work, wrote his reply.

_You already know. Dave and Terezi are together, and I'm just the derpy best friend. And I keep avoiding him, but I can't control it. I just don't want to deal with him._

_I'm probably stating the obvious here, but if you continue down your current path, you're going to destroy your friendship. Just talk to him, John. He's going to be your friend no matter what. I'm not telling you to go and confess your feelings for him, especially if you find that it would be hopeless, but you have to do something._

John bit his lip and crumpled the note, shoving it in the pocket of his jacket. He'd think about it later, after he'd caught himself up on whatever the teacher was rambling about.

* * *

"Egbert, wait up."

John's heart sped up at that voice, ecstasy and terror filling his veins. He had the impulse to weasel his way out of the situation again, but his feet stay firmly on the ground as he turned and managed to smile at Dave. "Oh, hey, Dave!"

"I thought we could chill at my place today. I got that new Nic Cage movie you mentioned."

"Wait, what? That's not even released yet, how could you possibly have it?"

"I have my connections, bro. So, is that a yes?"

John had to choose between continuing on his current path, as Rose put it, or actually spending time with his best friend while also watching the awesomest looking movie ever. Honestly, it really wasn't even that hard of a decision. "That sounds fun!"

Dave actually smiled- not the ironic smirk he usually had, but a full out grin. It was…strange, but nice and it made John's stomach fill with butterflies. Maybe, just for a little bit, he could pretend that he still had a chance and that Terezi didn't exist. Perhaps, just for one afternoon, he could fool himself into believing that everything was completely and totally okay and that his friendship wasn't dangerously close to falling apart.

They made their way to Dave's car and John briefly wondered why he wasn't being interrogated about his behavior throughout the day. Still, even when they were on the road, his avoidance wasn't even brought up. He wasn't questioning it, though, because even if Dave demanded answers, John wouldn't know what to say. The radio was flipped on and it was playing some electronica pop that was apparently popular. It kind of sounded like garbage to him, but it was better than silence.

When they got to Dave's apartment, they grabbed some sodas out of the fridge and made themselves comfortable in front of the flat screen TV Bro had bought recently. "Seriously, Dave, I can't believe you got this movie. Your connections must be pretty awesome to be able to pull this off."

"They haven't failed me yet."

About half way through the movie, during a slower part where nothing was really going on, Dave cleared his throat. "So, did I do anything to make you mad?"

Okay, so, this conversation couldn't be put off forever. "Of course not. Why would you think that?" John asked. He sounded so innocent, but Dave knew him too well.

"You've been avoiding me since yesterday. If I did something to offend you, just tell me. I promise I didn't mean it."

"It's…it's nothing you can be held responsible for, Dave. Just trust me when I say you've done nothing wrong."

"Okay, but seriously. If I ever do something to piss you off, just tell me."

John smiled reassuringly, nodding as he turned his attention back to the screen. It was nice knowing that Dave was willing to drop the cool kid routine every once in a while when he needed to. It proved that there was a person behind the mask he usually wore, and while he wasn't aware of it, it was cooler than anything he could do to be deliberately cool.

When the movie was over, John had to reluctantly admit that it wasn't as great as he believed it was going to be. He looked over at Dave, who was looking questioningly at the crumpled up piece of paper which had apparently fallen out of John's pocket. "This yours?"

John stared for a moment, soon realizing that he really needed to get that paper back in his possession. He reached for it, but Dave moved his arm back. "I wonder what it could be." He said in the closest thing to a sing-song voice as he could get. "Is it a loooooove note?"

John's instincts kicked in and the only thought inside his mind was getting the paper back and burning it before Dave could read it. He could never, ever, ever see that note, ever. Impulsively, the dark-haired teen launched himself forward, practically crawling into the blonde's lap in an attempt to reach the stupid note. Unfortunately, Dave's arms were longer, which just made John more determined to crawl over every available space in order to reach it.

Had he been thinking clearly, he would have realized that he was in a  _very_ intimate position with the one person who definitely could not know his feelings. Gradually, he came to realize this, made a leap for Dave's hand in a moment of panic. Luckily, he grabbed the note and tumbled backwards as he reclaimed his personal space. "Aw come on, Egbert, it's just a note!"

John, in response, shoved the paper into his mouth, causing Dave to nearly tackle him to the floor. They became a mess of sprawled limbs and soon, both realized what position they were in. Dave, who was straddling John's waist, seemed hesitant to do anything. He seemed to be considering something, but John couldn't quite tell through the sunglasses. All he knew was that the blonde's face was gradually coming closer and closer until their noses were almost touching. Just a little bit closer and-

The apartment door opened and Dave leapt to his feet so fast, it almost gave John whiplash. That was it, moment over. Were they even having a moment? John's brain was a bit scrambled as he sat up, spitting the note out of his mouth and shoving it into the pocket of his jeans. He got to his feet and plopped back onto the couch, imitating the boy next to his and pretending that nothing had just almost-happened. And really, there was no definitive way to determine whether or not his friend had really been about to kiss him. There were thousands of other explanations for what had just happened. Even though he couldn't think of any.

* * *

Dave drove John home, and neither of them brought up the note again. John briefly said hello to his father before going up to his bedroom and turning his laptop on. He decided that he needed Rose's guidance. If anyone could explain what had happened without actually having been there, it was her. Before he could even switch from invisible, a pesterlog popped up.

**GC: J0HN, Y0U 4R3 4N 1D10T.**

Okay, cool. The very last person John wanted to talk to, now with an added bonus of degrading words.

**EB: ?**

**GC: Y0UV3 B33N 4V01D1NG D4V3.**

**GC: 4ND Y0UR3 4N 1D10T B3C4U53 0F 1T.**

**EB: What are you talking about?**

**GC: 1 W45 T4LK1NG T0 TH3 R053 HUM4N 34RL13R.**

**GC: 4ND 5H3 H1NT3D TH4T Y0U TH0UGHT D4V3 4ND 1 W3R3 1N 4 R3L4T10N5H1P.**

**EB: Aren't you?**

**GC: N0 1D10T**

**GC: D4V3 15 MY M01R41L**

**GC: N0T MY M4T35PR1T**

**GC: 50 5T0P 4V01D1NG H1M**

**GC: 4ND 1LL KN0W 1F Y0U D0NT :]**

**EB: He and I were kind of past that point already, actually.**

**EB: And so sorry for not realizing the difference between your fucking confusing quadrants.**

**EB: Er…I guess I'll talk to you later, then?**

**GC: P3RH4P5. JU5T T4LK T0 D4V3.**

John had never felt so simultaneously confused and relieved. Dave wasn't in a relationship with Terezi! Which meant he was single and John didn't have to worry about being jealous. Er, until the next person Dave showed interest in. He hadn't ever said anything about being gay, so it was too early to feel actual hope, but things were a bit better. He could at least feel secure in the fact that there wouldn't be any sloppy Dave/Terezi makeouts anywhere in the future.

John was about to switch back to visible when there was a knock on his bedroom door. "John, you have a visitor."

He swiftly closed his laptop and sprung to his feet, trotting downstairs. Rose was standing by the front door, and she smiled when she saw him. "Hey."

"Uh, hey. What are you doing here?" John was happy to see his friend, but she wasn't the kind of person to just go to someone's house on a whim.

"We're taking you shopping." She said, matter-of-factly.

"We?"

"Oh, Jade's in the car. She's driving."

"Uh, not that I don't completely enjoy shopping or anything, but why are we going, exactly?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you on the way there."

John raised his eyebrow, but he trusted Rose. "I'm going out, Dad. Be back later."

The two teens walked out to where Jade was waiting in her car. Rose climbed in the back, leaving John with the passenger's seat. "Hey, John." Jade said happily.

"Hi, Jade." He said, smiling. "So, I'm still confused. What are we doing?"

"We're going to get you an outfit for the dance tomorrow, silly!" Jade said while Rose smiled mischievously.

"We still have to buy our dresses, so we thought we'd drag you along and get you something Dave might consider 'cool'."

John stared at them while the car pulled out onto the road. He was still massively confused, and he didn't know if he liked the sound of their plan. "I…uh, I wasn't aware there was a dance tomorrow." He said finally.

"That's because you never pay attention. Anyway, we're going to help you get Dave's attention."

"Er, well, is that even really necessary? I mean, I don't know if he's gay or not, and I don't want to go around embarrassing myself."

"Just roll with it, John." Rose said, patting him on the shoulder. "We know what we're doing."

There was no escape at that point, anyway, so John sighed in defeat and leaned his head on the window. Some idle chatter about dress colors and accessories was exchanged, and he desperately wanted to get out of the car. They finally pulled into a parking space at the mall and he dashed out of the car, wanting the girl talk to stop.

The first hour and a half consisted of Jade and Rose stopping at every store and trying on dresses. John was constantly asked what he thought, and he honestly had no clue. Most of the time, he nodded and smiled, wishing he'd brought something to do. Finally, the pair of girls decided what they wanted and even John had to admit that they looked great. They stopped at the food court after their purchases and got some drinks, before sitting down. "Okay, John, I'm thinking your colors consist of black, blue, and grey. You're sort of pale, so we don't want anything too bright."

"Okay, cool." John said, unsure of what had actually been said. "So, if we're trying to impress Dave with this plan, are we sure he's even going? Isn't he, like, too cool for school dances?"

Jade took a sip of her orange soda and shook her head. "We've made sure he's going to be there. There's pretty much no way our plan can go wrong."

"Right. Okay. So we're just going to make me look like a cool kid and hope he takes the bait?"

"Stop asking questions, Egbert." Rose said, smiling.

It was another hour and forty-five minutes before they found something suitable for John, and even though they asserted that he looked amazing, he felt kind of ridiculous. There was no winning, though, so he shut his mouth and let the girls buy his clothes, with the promise that he'd pay them back.

They made their way out to the parking lot, Jade practically skipping, and managed to fit everything in the trunk. "Now we just have to wait until tomorrow." Rose said once they were back in the car, seatbelts buckled.

The drive home was a lot more fun than the drive there, John decided, and he actually laughed a few times. Jade pulled in front of his house and he retrieved his things from the trunk, waving to his friends. He told his dad he was home before going up to his room and hanging up his new clothes ( _Silk wrinkles, John, so don't just leave it in the bag._ ) and logging onto Pesterchum. Dave was online, but John didn't know if he wanted to bug him by starting a chat. His thoughts strayed to that afternoon, Dave just above him, leaning farther and farther down…

He closed his eyes, telling himself that it was just wishful thinking. Getting his hopes up about it would be counterproductive. He was about to check his various online accounts when Pesterchum chimed.

**TG: sup**

**EB: Not much. Just getting some homework done.**

John didn't really know what the whole dance situation was, and he doubted it would be a good idea to tell Dave that he'd just been shopping for a snazzy new outfit.

**TG: booooooring**

**TG: what are you doing tomorrow**

**EB: Um, I don't know.**

**EB: I think I'm going to the dance. Jade and Rose are making me go.**

**TG: really? they're making me go too**

**TG: do you wanna do something beforehand?**

_Breathe, Egbert. Jegus, he definitely doesn't mean anything by it. He's implying chilling. Like bros._ John bit his lip, trying to think of an appropriate response.

**EB: Sure!**

**EB: What do you want to do?**

**TG: well**

**TG: the dance starts at seven**

**TG: we could grab a bite to eat**

**EB: Sounds good to me :)**

The two talked for a while more, John had to end the conversation when he began yawning. After logging out of Pesterchum, he decided that the next day might actually be kind of fun. And maybe he could trick himself into thinking he was actually on a date with Dave. Sure, it would cause more trouble in the long run, but it was only for a little and the consequences were his to deal with.

* * *

The next morning dragged on way too slowly. Dave was picking him up at 4:30 and John constantly found himself glancing at the clock, hoping an hour or so had somehow magically passed. He did everything he could think of to make time go by faster, but he couldn't help the anticipation he felt. He couldn't even focus on Con-Air. Finally, at 4:00, he changed into the clothes Jade and Rose had bought him and looked in the mirror. Blue, form-fitting vest over a black silk dress shirt and grey skinny jeans. Plus, to make his feelings for Dave even more obvious, Jade had found a pin that looked almost exactly like the record on the coolkid's shirt and she said it was absolutely mandatory to wear it. He pulled on a pair of low-tops and decided that maybe he didn't look  _that_ bad. He fixed his hair to the best of his ability and went to the living room to sit on the couch and wait.

After a few minutes of antsy fidgeting, the doorbell rang and John practically sprinted to answer it. He opened the door to reveal Dave, looking cooler than ever in a pair of black dress pants and a red dress shirt. "Ready?" he asked, smiling slightly. John nodded, unsure of whether his voice would work or not, and followed Dave to his car after locking the house. "You look nice."

John looked over at his friend as the car rumbled to life, knowing for a fact that a furious flush was rising to his cheeks. "Er, th-thanks. You too, Dave." That may have been the most outright compliment he'd ever received from him, and it was strange to say the least. Usually, Dave's compliments were hidden within some kind of insult, but that was just the way he did things.

Every so often, John would sneak a glance over at the driver, whose exquisite poker face never disappeared. He could literally be thinking about anything, and it would be impossible to tell. "So," he started as he caught John staring, "are you planning on asking anyone to dance?"

"Uh…no, I wasn't planning on it. I mean, it's a dance, but I was thinking I could just watch everyone else dance?" he began fiddling with his sleeve, trying not to act like dork. If there was just one night that he could be spared the curse of dorkiness, he hoped it would be this one. "What about you?"

"Well, there's one person I was considering asking, but I'm still thinking about it."

John was about to ask who, but he didn't want to be too eager. There were already too many dots that wouldn't take too much effort to connect- he didn't need any more. There was only so much he could make excuses for before Dave discovered the truth, and who really knew how hard he'd flip his shit if that happened? "You should ask her." He said, at least attempting to be supportive of his best friend.

Dave just shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. "I'll just have to see what tonight brings." He said. "So, you hungry?"

"You know it!"

They pulled into the parking lot of an Olive Garden a few minutes later. John was pretty surprised, since he was only expecting something like McDonalds, but you wouldn't hear him complaining. As they walked in, a young waitress smiled brightly and grabbed a couple menus. "Two?" A nod from Dave. "Alrighty then, just follow me this way." She led them to an empty booth and gave them the menus. "And what can I get you to drink?"

Dave barely glanced at her as he said, "Pepsi."

"Uhh… I think I'll have a hot chocolate."

The waitress, Aimee, as her nametag said, left them to look at the menus and John had honestly no clue what to get. "What are you getting?" he asked after a few moments.

"I was thinking the grilled shrimp caprese."

"Hmm." John went back to looking at the menu, and soon, the waitress came back with their drinks.

"Are you two ready to order?"

Dave looked over at John, who nodded, and the waitress looked at him first. "Er, I'll have the lasagna." He said, a bit unsure of himself.

The waitress shifted her gaze over to Dave who pointed to his order on the menu. She nodded and was off again. John took a sip of his hot chocolate, and, unbeknownst to him, got whipped cream all over his lips. The blond across from him was having a hard time suppressing his grin, and John tilted his head to the side. "What?"

"John, you have a bit of," Dave giggled slightly, which was ridiculous because Dave fucking Strider did not giggle, and he reached his hand forward and swiped his thumb across the brunette's lip. And then proceeded to stick his thumb in his mouth.

John felt kind of astounded and he didn't really know what was going on anymore, but he cleared his throat to unsuccessfully regain his composure and used his napkin to wipe his lip off. "Uh, thanks." He muttered, trying to hide his blush. Was Dave just doing this ironically, or what? Because John didn't know if his heart could handle very much of it.

Both teens were pretty happy when Aimee returned with their food and they were able to fill the awkward silence with eating. When they were finished, John moved to pull out his wallet, but Dave stopped him. "I've got it, bro."

"A-are you sure, Dave? I have enough here…"

"No worries, it's cool, man."

Slowly, John put his wallet back in his pocket and mentally told his heart to chill the fuck out. "Thanks, Dave." He said, for what seemed to him to be, what, the billionth time? Suddenly, a suspicion started rising in his chest, and his mind began working all the different scenarios that could be potentially happening.  _Oh gog, something really bad happening and he's just being really nice to me in order to break the news to me easily…oh Jegus, what if he's moving and he doesn't have the heart to tell me. Oh jeez, what am I gonna do if he moves? Okay, calm down, Egbert. It's probably nothing. Your mind is just playing tricks on you, is all. Just chill and everything's gonna be fine._

John looked over at his friend again, who was raising an eyebrow. "Did you hear me?"

"Uhm, what did you say? I just kind of…spaced out there, sorry."

"I asked if you were ready to head over to the dance?"

"Oh, yeah!"

They walked back out to the car and John got his poker face back on before getting in and buckling his seatbelt. The ride to the school went by pretty fast, luckily, and when they got there, they spotted Jade and Rose by Jade's car. The girls smiled when they saw Dave's car and went over to greet their friends. "Hey, guys!" Jade said.

"Looking great there, John." Rose said, smirking. "The same goes to you Dave."

"Rose, our men are growing up!"

Dave quirked his eyebrow at this, but didn't say anything. "Shall we go inside?" Rose asked.

"Well, it's what we came here for." Dave responded, beginning to walk towards the doors. His three friends followed suit and John definitely felt less likely to do something stupid with the girls there. John spotted a soda machine and decided he needed more caffeine. He went to pull his wallet out of his pocket, but surprisingly, it wasn't there.

"Oh, I'll be right back, guys, I think I left my wallet in the car."

He jogged back out to the Tercel where he ducked into the passenger's side and reached around on the floor for that pesky wallet. He found it, but then he spotted Dave's notebook. The one he was so cagey about. He knew he shouldn't. He told himself that. Just walk away, Egbert. Walk away and pretend you never saw it. He almost listened to that voice, but sighed and grabbed the notebook, flipping to a random page. Oddly enough, the page he flipped to had both Jade's handwriting  _and_ Dave's handwriting. The first few sentences were Jade.

_Dave, I think, at this point, we all know that your 'cool kid' thing is just a way of protecting yourself. But do you really think he's going to care if you stop acting like that? You've known him for forever, and you should know that he's not going to stop being your best friend just because of a crush you have on him._

_okay, let's say you're right about that. don't you think it might make things a little awkward? "hey, egbert, you wanna hang?" "Oh, sorry Dave but I think you might just try to get in my pants, so, no."_

_Dave. Get real. He wouldn't do that. He's too nice._

_i know and that's what makes him so fucking adorable. i just…i don't want to fuck things up. his friendship is pretty much the only thing i've cared about this much ever. not even in an ironic way._

John temporarily forgot how to breathe. Lungs? What the hell are those? After managing to get a sufficient amount of oxygen to his brain, he put the notebook back where he found it and shut the car door, leaning against the Tercel for a moment. Okay, time for a quick mental summary. Dave felt the same, more or less. He thought John was adorable. Right, so, John could totally handle that. He just had to chill the fuck out, walk back to where Dave was waiting, and figure shit out. So easy. So…incredibly…easy

Or, well, in theory, it was a perfect plan. That is, right up to the point where John's legs went limp and he fainted.

* * *

"John. You need to wake up now."

John really didn't want to wake up. He tried to say something along the lines of "Just five more minutes, Dad." But was pretty sure it came out as a garbled mush of words. Someone's hand was carding through his hair and he'd never been so confused in his life, because he definitely wasn't in his bed. He groggily opened his eyes and realized that his head was currently being supported on Dave's lap. The blond in question had his eyes closed and was absentmindedly running his hand through John's hair.

"Wha…?" John slowly recalled what happened and his heart started pounding all over again.

"Are you okay, John? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Um, I think I'm fine. My head hurts a bit."

Dave seemed to relax, letting out a breath. "What the fuck happened?"

John was reluctant, but he sat up anyway. There were in the back seat of the Tercel and he sighed, debating whether to tell the truth. "Okay, Dave. I'm going to say something, but before you get mad at me, I'm aware that I really, um, shouldn't have. Okay so uh. I came out to get my wallet and I saw your notebook. And I've always been kind of…curious about why you're so cagey about it. So I flipped to a random page that had a conversation between you and Jade, and I know it was such a blatant disregard for your privacy, but I read it. And I discovered that you, um, share my feelings?" John paused, breathing. This is not how he wanted his big confession to happen, but he couldn't control it. "And I was going to go talk to you about it, but I guess it was just too much for me because I was kind of freaking out and then I got all light headed and I guess my head became acquainted with the asphalt." Jegus, could anything be more dorky? He felt color rising into his cheeks, avoiding Dave's gaze as much as possible.

"Fuck, John, I don't…I don't know what to say. I mean, I've hoped for…Gog, I'm acting so uncool right now. Um, I've hoped for you to return my feelings, but I always thought I'd be stuck watching you fall in love with other people."

John felt his mouth curving into a grin of its own volition and he reached forward, wrapping Dave in a hug. "I've felt the exact same way. How've we been so blind?"

"Beats me." Dave ruffled John's hair. "So, I think we should get back to the dance. Rose and Jade might worry."

John nodded and they got out of the car, earning a few strange glances from various people in the parking lot. "Are you good to walk this time?" Dave asked jokingly. John shoved him playfully. Nervously, he twined Dave's fingers with his own and butterflies erupted in his tummy when Dave squeezed reassuringly.

Inside, they found Rose and near the doors, waiting for them. "Is everything okay?" Jade asked, her voice full of concern. She didn't miss the fact that they were holding hands, but John's well-being came first.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Er, more than fine, actually." John said, glancing up at Dave.

"So, I'm getting to feeling you two were conspiring against us." Dave said accusingly, though affectionately.

"We just…helped things along." Rose said, smiling. "Now you two go dance. Why do you think we dragged you here?"

John rolled his eyes, but he and Dave drifted towards the dance floor. "So dinner. Was that our first date?"

"Hell no! I may have treated it like one, but the point of a date is for the parties involved to know it's a date."

John smiled, feeling ridiculously giddy. "I can't believe this is actually happening."

They were swaying slowly to the music and Dave's hands slid down to John's hips. "Me neither. For a while…well, I thought I'd made myself too obvious and that's why you were avoiding me."

"Of course not! It's kind of silly, actually. I, uh, thought you and Terezi were in a relationship. Er, like matesprits, not like moirails. So I was really jealous and acted like a total dork."

Dave leaned his forehead against John's, closing his eyes. "But I love that you're a dork. You have no idea. You tear down my walls, Egbert, and you're the only one who can."

John was about to say something, but he hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I think it should be said that I was crushing on you even before the Game."

"You should have told me sooner, silly."

"Dave, can I…can I kiss you?"

They had stopped dancing and Dave smiled. "I don't know, can you?"

And with that, the gradually shrinking distance between them was closed and Dave had captured John's lips with his own. It was gentle and inexperienced, but neither of them had ever felt happier. If any of the other students around them noticed the kiss, John and Dave didn't notice. They broke apart after a while and John removed Dave's sunglasses carefully, giving his time to react, but he just let it happen. "I love your eyes, Dave. They're unique, like you."

"See Egbert? That right there. You're putting a funk in my cool, man."

John smiled, putting the shades at the top of Dave's head. "I love you." He said, suddenly and without thinking. The words hung there for a few heartbeats, but soon, Dave was leaning down and pecking the brunette on the lips. "

"I love you, too, you dork."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! :D 
> 
> I really love this pairing and I hope I did it justice.


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